Imagine a teacher patiently instructing your high schooler in those
tough math courses. After presenting a new concept the teacher then
guides your child through practice problems in an interactive
tutorial. If he solves the problems easily the teacher gives more
difficult ones, but if he struggles, the teacher gives hints and
repeats similar problems. When your child has completed enough
problems with an acceptable score (default is 80 percent, but this
can be changed) he takes a timed test. MATH-TEACHER Plus, an Israeli
computer program used worldwide, provides you with just this type of
teacher!

In addition to the tutorial, where your student will spend most of
his time, there is also a powerful graphic "exploration
environment," sort of a souped-up graphing calculator. Here he can
study functions and even translate a graph into its equation by
dragging the graph across the page. Beyond this you can view
animated demonstrations of concepts such as limits and convexity and
concavity.

Some computer math courses merely offer camouflaged multiple-choice
problems. With MATH-TEACHER Plus this is not the case, as this
program allows problems to be solved in a way similar to the way you
would do them on paper. You can enter freeform answers, and the
computer will take all acceptable ways to solve a problem, giving
you step-by-step guidance or hints if you need them.

Each of the courses has four units which are designed to cover
material that would normally take 2-4 months in a classroom. A
Teacher's Toolkit allows for customization, provides timed on-screen
tests and a test generator for printed tests or homework, and
creates detailed individual reports. To maximize the program you
will need to spend time monitoring your student's work and creating
tests from a cross-section of units. Since there are no solutions
manuals, even with all the help options available, this may not be a
good program for a parent who is not strong in math. [from the
publisher:MATH-TEACHER Plus does provide printed
detailed solutions for printed homework or tests. It is an
option when printing problems.]

Though some of the content is quite challenging, the problems in a
given section are often repetitive. Grading is generous, giving
partial credit for second and third attempts, even on tests.

You will miss some topics taught in traditional courses, such as
geometric constructions and two-column proofs. Another drawback is
the lack of "search" capabilities, making it hard to find a section
dealing with a specific term or subject. [from the publisher:
MATH-TEACHER has a syllabus feature that allows the publisher to
insert any table of contents into MATH-TEACHER and link entries to
the corresponding module and level. Custom syllabus entries
available upon request.]

Nonetheless, here's what sold me on this program. While doing PSAT
preparation we learned that my oldest (and math resistant) daughter
was weak on probability, so I had her work with the Word
Problems/Probability CD. Initially she had some trouble. Now,
normally this would mean waiting till the regular math tutor (me)
was available, but because of the immediate and untiring ability of
this program to provide help (lessons, an infinite number of sample
problems, general guidance in how to start and hints for specific
problems) she was able to understand the new concepts on her own!

Copyright 2034 Home Life, Inc., PO Box 1190, Fenton, MO 63026-1190,
(800) 346-6322, www.home-school.com. Originally published in
Practical Homeschooling November/December 2003. A Practical
Homeschooling subscription is $19.95 for six issues. Used by
permission.